Ireland has been voted Europe’s best travel destination for the ninth consecutive year | Popgen Tech

Ireland has been ranked Europe’s best travel destination for the ninth consecutive year by an American travel publication.

According to a report provided by Extra, Ireland accepted the award at the Travel Weekly Readers’ Choice Awards in New York, in the US Museum of Natural History, reports SchengenVisaInfo.com.

Other European countries such as Italy, Greece, Spain, France and Croatia also competed for the Best Destination in Europe category.

Alison Metcalfe, from Tourism Ireland, said on accepting the award that they were delighted that the country had been singled out for this award for the ninth consecutive year.

“Travelers have tremendous choice these days, which makes it more important than ever for us to ensure Ireland stands out from other destinations – so this award is really good news as we prepare to launch another extensive and targeted promotional drive in 2023 kick,” reads the statement.

After the easing of the restrictions imposed to stop the spread of the coronavirus, the tourism industry in Ireland, among others, has marked a significant improvement.

According to figures recently provided by the Irish Tourism Industry (ITIC), Ireland welcomed a total of 900,000 foreign visitors in September this year, which is around 9 per cent less compared to the figures for the same period last year.

Moreover, the same source revealed that, despite the significant improvement in the tourism industry, visitor numbers still remain below pre-pandemic levels, before the spread of the Coronavirus and its new variants.

The North American market was also reported to have contributed significantly to Ireland’s travel and tourism industry in September.

According to ITIC, the improvement in this sector is also threatened by the energy crisis, the increase in cost inflation as well as supply restrictions.

“Members such as hotels and restaurants have reported that energy bills have jumped to unsustainable and unprecedented levels, warning that profit margins have come under severe pressure.” Eoghan O’Mara Walsh, CEO of ITIC pointed out in this regard.

Travelers from the United States also make a significant contribution to the country’s tourism industry.

According to the report made by Extra, Ireland kept its doors open to a total of 1.7 million passengers from the United States, which delivered from €1.6 billion to the country’s economy in 2019.

It was also reported that the report represents what the audience of Travel Weekly considers to be the best in a total of 82 categories.